


Celestial Bodies

by Sol1056



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Multi, Polyamory, Post-Season/Series 06, Shameless Smut, Threesome - F/M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-20
Updated: 2018-07-20
Packaged: 2019-06-13 07:43:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15359598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sol1056/pseuds/Sol1056
Summary: Between guiding Keith in Black, being conveyed within Allura, and returning to a physical form after so long, Shiro's overwhelmed -- and unable to disconnect from the spiritual links he'd inadvertently created with Keith and Allura.Two voices within Shiro's awareness, overlapping dialogue. Shiro keeps his gaze on the purple glow of Black's instruments, opening his mind, trusting their voices, reaching out like he once had to Black. Keith's presence is passion, longing mixed with loneliness, the glow of fire, white-hot at the center, drawing Shiro close. Allura is dispassionate, a self-possessed calm imbued with gold and limned in a blue so clear it brings tears to Shiro's eyes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> posted in one part and broken into two after I realized just how long it was.

Shiro sleeps uneasily, dreams empty of the stars. Sounds fade in and out: a murmur of voices, cloth rustling, dripping water. His right arm—what remains of it—aches, pinprick jolts stabbing him with every breath. It takes concentration to sort out the meanings. An itch on his wrist, a cramp in his fingers, cloth brushing bare skin. None of it makes sense until he remembers.

His new prosthesis. Earth-designed, Altean-built.

Shiro wakes to find Keith leaning over him, eyes shadowed but smile relieved. The land is darkness, the blue glow of an Altean lantern beside Keith providing the only light.

"It worked." Keith threads his fingers through Shiro's.

The fingers on Shiro's right hand. Like his arm, they're a dull black, burnished steel at the joints. The metal casing reaches higher, cupped around his shoulder joint. Shiro exhales, wincing as every movement yanks on agonized nerves.

"Does it hurt?" Keith pushes Shiro's hair back. "I can get Allura."

Shiro's lips are too parched to speak, his throat scraped raw. Keith helps Shiro sit up, supporting him as Shiro drinks. Water, clear, cool.

"No sleep," Shiro whispers, hoarse. "Stay."

"I'm right here." Keith settles cross-legged beside Shiro. He strokes Shiro's hand, and the touch of his fingers draws out the pain, a sliver at at time. "Is this okay?"

"Good," Shiro manages through gritted teeth, because it hurts. Yet it's something, it's not nothing, and he's more terrified of feeling nothing at all.

Keith leans over him, hand on Shiro's forehead.

"Hurts," Shiro grounds out, gasping.

"Allura," Keith says, and the shout is sharp against Shiro's eardrums.

"On my way!" Allura's voice is close, distracted, and suddenly Shiro's entire body shakes as Allura lands heavily on his other side. "Hold on, Shiro—"

Every nerve in his body is overloading. Sweat drips from his temples into his hair with the effort of holding back agonized shouts. It's too much, all at once, Keith's hands pulling back the covers, Allura's cool fingers baring Shiro's chest to a brush of chilly air. Keith gets his hand under Shiro's neck, fingertips pressing in, massaging.

It feels good but the problem is it's more feeling on top of everything else—

Heat suffuses Shiro's chest, spreading into his extremities. In its rippling wake, his senses are dulled, distanced. Shiro releases his breath with a rush, chest rising and falling. Allura's hands remain on his body, her body outlined in blue-gold, her touch firm. Keith's other hand lands on Shiro's hip, grounding him.

"Shiro?" Keith asks. "Shiro?"

"Better." Shiro hisses when Allura begins to pull away, and she promptly leans back in. "Stay."

"More?" Keith asks Allura.

"I don't think that's the issue." Allura scoots closer, until her knees touch Shiro's ribs. "A little too much, too fast? It must be hard to be in a body again. We forget how overwhelming it can be."

"What do we do?" Keith's frustration is clear.

Shiro can't tell whether they're on the verge of figuring it out or arguing. Easier to bypass, since he knows what he wants, even if they're talking over his head.

"Talk," Shiro says, tentatively tensing his muscles.

No stabbing pain through his joints, only a faint prickle of discomfort. He gets one hand on Allura's knee, the other on Keith's thigh. He doesn't have the energy to do more, only to hope they understand.  

"Touch," Shiro says. "Sound." His stomach rumbles, and he smiles. "Taste…"

Allura smiles. "We can do all of those."

 

 

 

The air is cool, and a heavy blanket holds Shiro down, protecting him from a deeper cold he knows lies beyond the edges. He opens his eyes, blinking at Black's cabin. The lights are low; the weight across him unfamiliar.

He flexes his right arm, pulls it out from under the weight, and raises it. Strange, to think he'd spent so long with the other arm that he'd find a new one alien. The weight on his chest shifts, and Shiro's vision is curtained by curly white hair.

"Oh, sorry," Allura says, sweeping her hair out of the way. "How are you feeling?"

"Is he alright?" Keith calls.

"Let me get the water," Allura says, bending past Shiro to fetch one of the water packets. She pops the straw in, supporting Shiro's head so he can drink. "Better?"

"Yes," Shiro says, arms out from under the blankets, trying to get purchase. "Sit up—"

"Right." Allura tucks her hands into Shiro's armpits and lifts him up, bodily, sliding him backwards until his shoulders are against the side console. "There you go."

Shiro laughs self-consciously. "I'll never get over—" He coughs, glad of the water when Allura offers it. "Keep forgetting how strong you are."

Allura beams. "I'm just glad you're with us to say that."

"How did you—" Shiro flexes his hand again, startled by the absence of pain. "Why aren't we in the castle?"

"Oh." Allura's shoulders slump. "It's a long story."

Shiro smiles. "I'm not going anywhere."

Her exhaustion is clear; her story is jumbled, but he gets the gist of it. With the castle's destruction, their best choice was retreating while the empire dissolves into factional warfare. They'd returned Shiro to the healing pod, keeping him mildly sedated until Pidge figured out how to hook the pod to Green's systems.

For another seven quintants, Hunk and Pidge worked furiously to come up with a new design. Some pieces they'd scavenged from what they'd brought from the castle, but the casing…

"That's Black." Allura runs her fingers down the sleek surface, and the sensation sends unexpected chills up Shiro's spine. "Lance talked them out of doing a stripped-down version, saying we had to find a way… to make it as real as we could. As complete."

"But Black," Shiro prompts, as a jaw-rattling purr fills his head. He smiles, acknowledging Black with a mental touch.

"Donated pieces of herself," Keith says from the pilot's seat.

He comes to join them, sitting down by Shiro's knees. He's set aside his armor, as has Allura. She's dressed in the plain black undersuit, the somber color turning Allura's hair to silver in the contrast. Keith wears a dark gray tank-top, though his leggings are the bottom half of his Marmora armor.

Shiro glances down at himself, curious about the oversized shirt, the tie at his hip holding the shirt closed. It's like a hospital gown, but backwards. He tugs at the neck, trying to bring it closer. Under the blanket, he's wearing nothing else. His ears grow hot.

"You two have done all the work?" Shiro asks. He wants to be appreciative, but mostly he's cringing. Helpless all that time.

"Figured you'd prefer privacy." Keith smiles.

Shiro nods, and for the first time, realizes he's not grimy nor itchy. They cleaned him, too. He covers his face with his hand, truly mortified.

Allura laughs, a happy sound, and Shiro can't hide the grin. It's too ridiculous, but he's awake, now. He'll take it from here. He can handle the rest.

"Thank you," he says, dropping his hand. Impulsively he reaches out, catching their hands with his. "Thank you."

"Of course," Allura says.

Keith just smiles, the open sweetness Shiro had feared lost after so long in space. Shiro can't resist; he extricates his fingers from Keith's, raises his hands to Keith's face. He cradles Keith's jaw, metal thumb smoothing across Keith's cheek. Keith ducks his head, cheeks going pink.

Shiro lets go with another smile, startled at the subtle joy on Allura's face. He shifts, a kind of apology, right as Allura yawns.

"You need more rest," Keith tells her. "I'll be fine for another two varga."

"Did Lance go back to Blue?" Shiro asks, puzzled. "Who's flying…"

"Romelle." Allura leans against the console, rubbing her eyes. "Temporarily. I've been here since. We didn't have any other way to dull the pain during your adjustment."

"Oh." Shiro frowns, looking around. "I can move so you can take the bed." It'll mean figuring out what to do about the fact that the lower half of his body is bare. He can only hope someone thought to bring clothes for the rest of him.

"I'm fine," Allura insists, her eyelids drooping.

Keith makes a face, obviously torn between disputing her claim and refusing to let Shiro move from the makeshift bed in the back of Black's cabin. After a moment, Shiro makes the decision himself, and gets an arm around Allura's waist. She mumbles something, already half-asleep, and Shiro scoots down, tugging Allura with him.

She rolls towards him like a sunflower following the light, head pillowed on Shiro's chest. Keith arranges the pillows under Shiro's head, tucks the blankets around them both. He stays close for a bit, hands smoothing down Shiro's shoulder, trailing along the metal arm as if fascinated. Shiro lets him, comfortable, contented. After a bit Keith bends over, pressing dry lips to Shiro's forehead.

Keith moves away on silent footsteps. The warmth of his lips remain, and Shiro smiles, wrapping his prosthetic arm around Allura as well. Her breathing is steady and strong, her fingers splayed across his stomach, graceful even in sleep.

 

 

 

Neither dream nor memory; the darkness behind Shiro's eyelids is an echo bounced back across a distance. There's a vast starry darkness around him, lit by the gleaming beacons of icy asteroids and distant nebulas, but he recognizes none of the constellations.

He's not alone.

Arms wrap around Shiro, embracing him, holding him as if he were precious. For the third time since his exile began, he moves and breathes within someone else's body. The center of gravity is higher, the step assured but lighter, shoulders squared against the strain. Shiro exhales, relaxing, and feels the body around him ease.

There is no line where Shiro begins and Allura ends, or where he ends and she begins. Her presence swirls around him, moving through him. Evanescent fingers pluck at pain long denied, knitting closed long-buried injuries, weaving forgiveness into his sinews.

Her touch is too cool to explain the heat burning in Shiro's belly, a subtle fire that streaks through him to sweep around his toes and pool in his fingertips. A perfect fit, and familiar. A strong grip against Shiro's hands, lean muscles, shivering beneath golden skin. This time, Shiro is not the guide, merely the passenger.

Shiro opens his eyes to the purple-tinged darkness of Black's cabin. Allura dozes on his left side, cheek pillowed on her hand pressed against his heart. On his other side, Keith is only half under the blankets, tucked up close with his head under Shiro's chin. Keith's arm drapes across Shiro's belly, fingers tucked between Shiro and Allura. Shiro blinks, getting his bearings, and Keith twitches.

For a moment, Shiro doesn't dare breathe, then Keith sighs in his sleep. His fingers withdraw from Shiro's side, seeking Allura, pulling her close as well. Allura raises her head only enough to withdraw her hand, fingers gliding across Shiro's body to lay her hand over Keith's shoulders.

Maybe they're reassuring each other. Or maybe it's a habit they've formed during his convalescence, to prevent his escape without their awareness. Shiro can't see reason to complain. He's missed Keith, but he missed the rest of the team, too. He's not quite ready to handle all of them at once, but Keith and Allura… that, he can do.

Guard and bulwark, shield and foundation.

His own arms are wrapped around each of them, holding them close. Black's awareness sweeps over Shiro, fond, nudging him to rest. Shiro grimaces at Black's pressure; the only thing that still tires him is enforced inactivity. The lion won't be deterred, and Shiro lets his head fall back on the pillow, mind wandering through the scattered memories now available to him.

Too many of them hurt, and he's in no mood to walk those paths, not yet. Instead he catalogues the sensations. The most primary is the most overwhelming; he can feel the passage of time, the immense distances Black travels through the depths of space.

Keith shifts, slinging one leg over Shiro's hips, and there are new impressions joining the rest. Allura's breasts are soft against Shiro's chest; on Shiro's other side, a somnolent firmness presses against his hip. His fingers sweep back and forth across Allura's side, and draw small circles along Keith's hip.

A flash of blue announces a new arrival, and the cosmic wolf takes a seat at Shiro's feet, looking over the arrangement. Its eyes come to rest on Shiro, who smiles weakly. He's caught glimpses of the creature, but they haven't been formally introduced yet, and the creature is Keith's. Or at least, bonded the closest to Keith. The word tickles at Shiro's brain, and he sighs, paying the wolf no mind.

The wolf chews noisily on one foot, raises a leg to gnaw on the inside of its knee, then sits up again, ear flicking. When Shiro doesn't move, the wolf turns around, scratches at the blanket, turns around twice more, and flops down across Shiro's shins. If there was even the slightest doubt, these three are determined to make sure Shiro stays right where he is.

Shiro's half-smile falls away at the sound of voices. Not within the cabin, but within his mind. It's like overhearing a conversation in the next room, faint, but he knows those tones. Two voices within his awareness, overlapping dialogue. Shiro keeps his gaze on the purple glow of Black's instruments, opening his mind, trusting their voices, reaching out like he once had to Black. Keith's presence is passion, longing mixed with loneliness, the glow of fire, white-hot at the center, drawing Shiro close. Allura is dispassionate, a self-possessed calm imbued with gold and limned in a blue so clear it brings tears to Shiro's eyes.

Their dream-whispers fill his awareness. He has no idea what either are saying, though; their words dart like fish through water, slipping between his fingers. What he does know is their emotions, a heady mix of love, contentment… and desire. Images flash past, scattered impulses Shiro is willing to ignore as shreds of dreams, never to see reality.

His body has its own ideas. Pleasure roils in his belly to gather at his groin. His fingers clench involuntarily—all his fingers—pulling Keith and Allura closer. His fingers move of their own accord, pushing aside fabric to seek cabin-damp skin, pressing his palms flat.

Keith mutters under his breath; Allura smacks her lips and falls still. Shiro raises his head, kissing Keith on the forehead; it's a bit more awkward to reach Allura's temple, with her head lower on his chest.

Once, he'd seen through the lion's eyes. Now he's also looked out at the world through Keith's eyes, and again through Allura's. Just as there is no separation now between Black's awareness and his own, none remain between Shiro and the two people adrift in dreams beside him.

He lies awake, basking in their welcoming dream-embraces. He has much to think about.

 

 

 

Black rumbles in Shiro's mind, a private commentary. Shiro laughs in return. Allura's a good pilot, but it's not like there's much around to run into.

"I don't want to waste water," Shiro says, eying the metal box next to Keith.

The water is clear, pristine to the naked eye, but old lessons filter in. In space, the only resource more precious than water is oxygen.

"You're not," Keith dips in the cloth, wrings off the worst, and holds it out. "We stopped yester-quintant and filled Blue's belly up with water. Hunk's still working on coming up with a showering setup. For now, we do sponge baths."

"The arm—" Shiro pulls back from accepting with his right hand.

"It'll be fine," Keith assures him. "Lance was the test case and didn't get electrified." Something in Keith's dry tone implies he's slightly disappointed about that.

They sit on makeshift towels to catch the water. Shiro does his best to clean what he can, accepting Keith's assistance washing the places Shiro can't reach.

It's hard enough noting—and trying to ignore—the changes in his closest friend. The rasp from deeper within Keith's chest, shoulders broader now, muscles carving lines in the sleek body. Additional scars, callused fingers almost as long as Shiro's. The damp hair curling above Keith's shoulders, the gaze that misses little and gives nothing away.

Sometimes, memories intrude, flashes of Keith's return to the castle. A faint emotion colors the moment, a shock of attraction, amazement, interest. Shiro steadfastly rinses out the cloth, wrings it, and wipes down his legs. He keeps his body turned away, reciting trajectory derivations last used in astronaut training, anything to keep his awakened body under control.   

In the background, Allura finishes a system review, checks in with each of the team, confers on supply levels and opens a discussion on whether they need to stop, and where.

"How's the washing setup coming?" Allura asks.

For a moment, Shiro thinks she's speaking to him. He's still getting used to the voices hammering on his ears, and sometimes it's like every sense has gotten mixed around. Hunk's laugh tastes like caramel. Romelle's accent is like wool, scratchy yet familiar. Allura's calm words are snowflakes on Shiro's cheeks. Lance's easy-going teasing smells like salt air. And Pidge's snarky commentary is a curious shade of lime, shot through with threads of gold and white.

"It's not working," Romelle says. "We just end up with damp, cold, clothes. We need heat to get the water to evaporate."

"One thing at a time," Hunk replies. "Still working on a shower setup. I'll put clothes dryer on the list, but it'll be a few… are we still calling them days?"

"Shifts," Pidge corrects.

Shiro nods to himself, Keith's and Allura's explanations slotting into place. Five lions, six paladins, four support crew—Krolia, Matt, Coran, Romelle. Three shifts across every quintant, and someone's always awake while someone else is sleeping. Matt's co-flying with Pidge in alternate eight-varga shifts; Romelle's taken Blue while Allura's in Black. Krolia's become Lance's backup in Red, and Coran has bounced between Yellow and Blue, partly to assist, and partly to provide company.

"Maybe we could use Red for that," Lance suggests. "If you can find something to put the clothes in, Red says he can heat it up."

"We want clothes clean and dry, not crispy," Pidge retorts.

Keith pauses in scrubbing his arms, shoulders slumping. Shiro drops the cloth in the bucket and reaches for Keith's shoulder with his left hand. He squeezes, once, unsurprised when Keith rolls his shoulders a fraction, an implied shrug. Some things haven't changed; it's a mannerism that will always be Keith.

The conversation ends, and Allura shuts down the comms. Only then does Shiro pull Keith close, enough to wrap his arms around Keith from behind. Far more than he ever would've done in the past, but he craves the warmth. He needs it too much to do anything by half, anymore.

"Lance talks to Red, now?" Shiro whispers.

"Yeah." Keith tosses the cloth into the water and sighs, leaning back against Shiro. "He offered once to give up Red and leave the team. I talked him out of it. And now…"

Shiro rests his chin on Keith's shoulders. Black would accept Keith, but the question is whether Keith would let Shiro step down. Best to leave that for some other time; the feel of Keith's skin is overwhelming enough. On impulse, Shiro presses his lips against Keith's shoulder, and lets go.

"My turn to do your back," Shiro says, before Keith can protest.

 

 

 

Shiro can remember eating so quickly that food had no taste. He's sure he did that, as a child, as a student in training, and too many times when faced with bowls of the tasteless protein the castle churned out by the bucketful. Now he's got Hunk's cooking and a tongue confused and overcome by texture, taste, smell, aftertaste.

It takes him forever to finish the meal Hunk had sent over. Allura and Keith eat slowly as well, but only because they've adjusted to Shiro's desire for sound. Keith talks about his fellow Marmora, Allura talks about her scrapes as a child. Both talk about Hunk's kitchen experiments, Lance's pranks, Pidge's ingenious solutions for nonexistent problems. Keith's wolf appears on cue, looking for bowls to lick.

"Alright, alright," Allura says, after the wolf has stared her down, waiting patiently. "There you go."

Wolf gets every molecule with a long blue tongue, head-butts Keith, and is gone in a blue flash.

"Pidge and Matt are probably next," Keith says. "Wolf'll be back in a varga."

"Making the rounds," Shiro agrees.

He sits up straighter, stretches his left shoulder, then—more tentatively—his right shoulder. Keith is at his back without a word, hands on Shiro's shoulders, pressing him forward. Shiro groans quietly into the pull of his muscles, relearning the aches and twitches of a physical body.

Keith's hands are warm through the cotton shirt Shiro continues to wear, although he's taken to wearing his old riding leggings as well. Keith's fingers shift, touching bare skin.

Shiro freezes, inhaling sharply. Images flood his mind. Memories, dreams, fantasies, perhaps. It's easy to tell which are the last, but more surprising to find Shiro himself figures in them. Keith's murmur fills Shiro's head, or perhaps it's Shiro who's wandered again, sliding sideways into Keith's mind.

"Uh—" Shiro yanks himself free, away from Keith's hands. "I—"

"Shiro?" Allura looks up from stacking the bowls into the space-box that Black will send back to Yellow. "Are you alright?"

"I—I'm sorry," Shiro says, mortified. "Sometimes it's just—" He should've said this two shifts ago, when they'd woken from sleep. He drags a hand over his face, bracing himself. "Do you remember your dreams, Allura?"

Allura's cheeks go vibrant pink, the flush spreading to the tips of her ears. She coughs, visibly nervous. "Sometimes, a little. Not much. Why—why do you ask?"

The only way through is forward. Shiro takes a deep breath. "Because sometimes I think I can hear them. Both of you." He dares a look over his shoulder at Keith, whose expression goes from puzzled to sharply averted. Shiro lowers his head. "Sorry."  

"Don't," Allura says, pushing the bowls away to scoot closer. "What do you mean, you hear our dreams? In what way?"

"Sometimes—when I'm not paying attention—it feels like I'm not entirely here," Shiro admits. "Like I'm back in that space—where I was—" It's his turn to cough, embarrassed. "In each of you."

"There's still a connection?" Allura sits back on her heels, expression thoughtful. "I didn't want to break the link completely, though. I'm not sure of the effect it'd have on your other links." She glances around the cabin, and her meaning is clear.

"Oh." Shiro frowns. Losing Black at this point would be like… losing something even more integral than his arm. A part of his soul, perhaps. "I see." He manages a short laugh. "It's not a problem. I can make do."

Allura looks hurt, but Keith twists around Shiro to sit beside him. Shiro's startled to see Keith studying him intently.

"Maybe it's not the link," Keith says, carefully. He licks his lips, presses them together, takes a soft breath. "Maybe you're not rooted enough in your body, yet."

"Like I said, I can make do."

"What would fix that?" Keith asks Allura. "Time? Sensation? Something else?"

"Sensation," Allura says. She looks like she wants to say more. Her ears flush further, bright red. "Any particularly overwhelming sensation should do it."

"Everything's been overwhelming," Shiro says. "It's only just settled down. I'm fine."

"Allura dulls it for you," Keith insists. "Maybe that's been keeping you from adjusting."

"That could be." Allura scoots back to finish stacking the boxes, with a bit more attention than they really require.

"What are overwhelming sensations, then?" Keith isn't about to give up.

"Pain," Allura says, not quite looking at Keith. "And… pleasure."

"I've had enough pain," Shiro says, too late realizing how that sounds. "Uh, I'm not suggesting—"

"That's what we'll do," Keith says, firm. "Allura? You're part of this."

"I—" There's no mistake. Allura's entire face is crimson, her blue eyes wide in shock. "Do you realize what you're saying?"

"Of course." Keith seems remarkably unperturbed.

"What?" For a moment, Shiro can't quite find the words, and all the words come out in a rush. "Whoa, hey, Keith, there's no need to—"

"Yes, there is." Keith reaches for Shiro's top. "Off."

"Wait, you don't have to—" Shiro's saying the words, but that's all. He's capable of blocking any move, and Keith knows it.

Keith tugs at the knot, and Shiro's shirt falls open.

"Muscles," Allura says, in a choked voice. "I mean, roll over on your stomach. We can—I mean—we could—"

"Backrub?" Shiro asks, not sure if he should be helping.

When Allura's hands flutter helplessly, and Keith sits back on his heels, Shiro shrugs. Easier than showing how much it matters that anyone would offer, or how desperate he is to be touched. Any reason will do. He lets the shirt slip from his shoulders and turns around, laying down across the bedding area.

Keith hops up. "Let me check the autopilot."

"We'll need lotion," Allura says. "It's in my stuff."

A crackle of light, and Wolf pops back into the cabin, curling up with its tail laying across Shiro's feet. Shiro gets comfortable, arms spread, hands beneath the pillow. It doesn't take long, and Keith and Allura are on either side of his chest, whispering to each other.

"Ready?" Allura asks, and sets a warm-slick hand on Shiro's shoulder.

On the other side, Keith does the same.

"Whenever you are," Shiro says, closing his eyes.

It's soon apparent that Keith isn't sure what he's doing. Allura leads the way, and Keith catches on quickly. Allura's lotion is oily, enough that Shiro wonders how Romelle's going to get it out when doing the laundry. Soon enough he doesn't care, as Allura guides his left arm across her lap, working carefully at the muscles, fingers digging along the knots, working out the tension. Keith leaves the Altean arm alone, focusing on Shiro's neck.

When they meet up again along Shiro's spine and sides, he's groaning in unrepentant bliss. He does his best to ignore the quiet giggles from Allura—and maybe a few chuckles from Keith—too relaxed to be offended. Their fingers push in, smooth the skin, run across the muscles, section by section until they reach his hips.

"Here," Allura says to Keith. "Hold on, let me show you a trick."

A second later she straddles Shiro's thighs, her hands sliding down around Shiro's waist. Her fingers press in, pulling up and around and down to end at the base of his spine. Shiro groans loudly, caught between the strangely painful pressure and the release as her fingers run back across his body to do it again. Each pull nearly lifts him off the blankets.

"These, off," Allura commands, tugging at Shiro's leggings.

Shiro's too groggy to refuse, obediently lifting his hips for Keith to drag the leggings off him. It's not until Shiro's half-hard cock comes in contact with the bedding that implications dawn on him. Too late. Their hands are on his ass, squeezing and massaging, fingers reaching down between his thighs as they each press and knead deep into his muscles.

Stray fingertips brush his balls, and Shiro forces himself to remain still. He's getting harder, and in the patient silence he drifts, sliding into Keith's awareness and then into Allura's and back again. Keith is intent, focused… and reminding himself sternly to only use his hands.

Allura is equally focused, and sitting in an awkward position. She shifts, and a bolt of pleasure shoots up her spine. Shiro gasps as his own cock reacts from the backlash. Allura's sitting with the heel of her foot, grinding it into her crotch. She's as wet as Keith is hard.

They reach Shiro's feet, ejecting Wolf from foot-covering duty.

Shiro's unmoored, sliding from one awareness to another. He's the body, he's the hands caressing the body. He's the one stealing glimpses of the patterns of shadow across Keith's chest. He's the one noticing the curve of Allura's breasts and the length of her fingers. He's in each of them and with each of them, as much as they're in him.

"Roll over," Allura says.

The sound of her voice throws Shiro back into his own skin with an almost audible snap. He takes a deep breath, trying to calm his body. No chance.

"Shiro?" Keith asks.

"Uh," Shiro says, stalling. "You don't have to keep going."

"We've only done half," Allura says.

"Right, and it was wonderful," Shiro replies. "Really wonderful. I… really liked it."

Keith gives one of his half-laughs. "That's the point."

"I'm the only one naked," Shiro complains, without any real heat behind it. Maybe some hope, but he refuses to acknowledge that sound in his voice.

"Everyone is, under their clothes," Keith says, unconcerned.

Allura laughs. "I suppose it's fair, and this is a lot hotter work than I'd realized." A rustle of fabric, and Shiro can feel Keith's quick indrawn breath echoed in Shiro's own chest.

On Shiro's other side, Keith moves as well. Shiro stretches his soul out into each. Allura's top is gone, then her leggings, folded and set aside. Keith's tank top and leggings are tossed onto a pack, half-landing on Wolf, who snorts and goes back to sleep.  

"Okay, so just take this as a compliment," Shiro says, propping himself up on his elbows. He lowers his head to the pillow, stretching his neck and shoulders, and rolls over.


	2. Chapter 2

Shiro's pretty sure he's never been harder in his life. The cabin's almost too warm. Sweat drips down Keith's chest, and Allura's hair is sweat-soaked and stuck to her forehead. If either note Shiro's erection, they politely ignore it, busy exchanging the lotion bottle and setting their hands on Shiro's shoulders.

By the time they reach his chest, Shiro's on the verge of arching his back at the sensations of their palms brushing his nipples. He can't not react, can't not touch in return. He slips his arms down, curling a hand around to cup Allura's ass with his Altean prosthesis. His other hand catches Keith by the waist, then slides down to hold Keith's ass, as well.

He moves with his eyes closed, content with following their touch across his stomach. The shift in position means Allura has eased farther down, and Shiro's aware she could choose to dislodge his hand. Instead, she moves carefully, letting his hand fall and situating herself so his hand is now under her ass, fingers poised just below her crotch.

Keith shifts in much the same way, and Shiro's fingers twitch, sliding along the crack of Keith's ass. Keith gasps, fingers going still. Allura doesn't seem to notice, although her touch is lighter, hesitant. Almost as if she's waiting. Shiro drifts into her awareness. She's holding her breath, tentative, hopeful.

For the first time, Shiro pushes forward into each of them, nudging, granting permission. It's all he can do, and he withdraws, letting them choose.

One hand—calloused and warm—wraps around the base of Shiro's cock. Pleasure sparks up his spine. His hips rock, an involuntary motion, and a second hand wraps around the head of his cock—long fingers, cooler, not quite as firm. Neither moves, at first, and Shiro rocks again, pushing up into their grasp.

He bites his lip against a groan, head back, agonized by their stillness. If they're talking, he can't hear, can only feel them moving as if by agreement, until they face him. Their thighs bracket his hips, and Shiro runs his hands up their hips to their sides.

He opens his eyes to their intense gazes, both fixed on him. They continue to grip his cock, their other hands sliding up his chest to thumb at his nipples.

"You two—" It's about all Shiro can manage.

He reaches up, catching each by the shoulders, and they bend forward to let Shiro cup their faces. Shiro thumbs across the mark on Keith's jaw, the crescent moon on Allura's cheek. Keith's eyes are heavy-lidded, mouth open, tongue darting out to taste the air. Allura's eyes are open wide, mouth round, breasts rising and falling in a fast rhythm.  

Shiro pulls himself upright, burying the impulse to beg them to move. Instead he follows his hands, leaning into Keith, whose gaze lands on Shiro's mouth and stays there. Shiro bypasses Keith's mouth to kiss Keith's mark.

Keith turns in Shiro's hold, mouth finding Shiro's. His hand tightens on Shiro's cock, as his other hand catches Shiro by the shoulder. His tongue shoves between Shiro's lips, demanding entrance, and the sensation of their tongues colliding sends bolts of lightning straight down to Shiro's groin.

They part, lips wet, a thread of saliva hanging, and Keith turns to give Allura a pointed look. Shiro's brows go up, assessing. He smiles and leans towards Allura, again kissing her cheek, letting her choose to initiate.   

She does. Her mouth finds his, licking at his lips; her mouth is cooler, tongue darting in and back again, too quick for Shiro to catch. He mimics her, finally tilting his head to press firmer against her mouth, catching her tongue between his teeth. She whimpers and he lets go, breaking the kiss.

He can't breathe, and he has to lean into them, glad when they embrace him in return. Until Keith flexes his fingers, prompting a jagged gasp from Shiro. Allura follows suit, and Shiro falls backwards, hips rocking.

"Please," he whispers, his hands running down their bodies to catch their hips.

Another silent discussion, and Shiro knows if he concentrates, he could hear their whispers. Somehow he's become a conduit. Joy spike in his chest, eclipsing everything, even the physical touch currently making his toes curl.

A heartbeat goes by, then Allura's hand moves away from Shiro's cock, and he opens his eyes. She comes up on her knees, straddles his hips. Keith holds Shiro's cock ready, the head just barely brushing against Allura.

"Is this…" Allura says, hesitant. One hand is on Shiro's hip, the other on Keith's shoulder.

Shiro looks back and forth between them. He rocks upwards with a moan, certain if someone doesn't move, he's going to burst. Allura sinks down, head tilting back as she utters a soft cry.  

"Oh, god," Shiro groans, as wet heat envelops his cock.

Allura sinks downward until her full weight is on Shiro's hips. She takes a breath and rises up again, the slick drag making stars explode behind Shiro's eyelids. He's inside her, but everything she's feeling rolls back at him twice as strong, until he can't tell whether it's his cock in her, or hers filling a place inside Shiro.

Keith's breathing stutters, and Shiro knows the reason before he's even opened his eyes. Keith's kneeling with his knees against Shiro's side, hand on his own cock, mouth open on soft pants. He's feeling both of them, legs tensing and easing in tandem with Allura's larger movements.

Shiro hooks his hand behind Keith's neck, tugging him down. Off-balance, Keith falls forward, hands landing on Shiro's chest. In the purple glow of Black's cabin, Keith's eyes are pools of darkness.

"Don't," Shiro whispers. "I want that."

Keith inhales sharply, lurching back, then diving forward before Shiro can take a breath. A sloppy kiss, wet and frantic, Keith's tongue is everywhere, licking and prodding at Shiro's mouth. Over Keith's shoulder, Allura laughs silently, eyes closed, and licks her lips. She's feeling the kiss, the same way Keith's filled and filling, rocking his hips gently in time.     

Allura's kept a hand on Keith's hip for her own balance, her movements speeding up. Shiro plants his feet and thrusts upwards, jolting her, making her breasts bounce. He runs his prosthetic fingers up her stomach to cup one breast, thumb flicking across her nipple.

She clenches around his cock, and Shiro groans loudly, lost in the echoes of pleasure flooding him from each of them. Keith's head falls to Shiro's chest, licking, biting, finding a nipple and sucking hard. Allura bounces at Shiro's thrusts. Pleasure's burning in his groin, and he's not going to last long.

Allura shoves her full weight down, rocking her hips, and Shiro's in as far as he'll go. The heat and slick ignites and he's coming with a yell, almost dislodging Keith, who cries out as the backlash hits him.

Shiro's vision goes white, firecracker pleasure rolling through his hips and across his body.

Keith's whimper echoes in Shiro's head. Keith's need fills the open connection, mingling with Allura's pleasure and frustration. No release for either, though they're both shaking. They rode the waves of his own pleasure, instead.

He's in this, now, too. They're willing, and he can hardly deny his own desire, either.

Shiro pushes himself upright, catches Allura by the waist, and tips her onto her back. He leans over her for a deep kiss, running his tongue over hers, swallowing her joy and returning it tenfold. He pulls away to kiss down her neck, to her breasts. He looks over his shoulder at Keith.

"Where's that lotion?" Shiro asks.

Keith's got one hand on his cock, not jerking, just fondling, and he seems startled at Shiro's words. He finds the bottle among the bedding and holds it up.

"Good," Shiro says, reaching behind him to prod at Keith. "Fuck me, already."

Keith's eyes go wide. He doesn't protest further, settling in behind Shiro.

Shiro grins, backing up some more to kiss down to the curly hairs between Allura's legs. A slick finger runs down the crack of Shiro's ass, and Shiro rests his forehead on Allura's thigh. He's known where Keith's thoughts have run, but that was a distant cry compared to the sudden sensation of Keith's slick finger shoving into Shiro's ass.

Allura moans, muscles quivering, and her hips rock, once. Her face is scrunched up, and Shiro wonders if that's the expression he wears, too.

"God, yes, do it," Shiro says, and plants his mouth between Allura's legs.

He searches with his tongue, not sure if her physiology is like a human but willing to hope. The flat of his tongue finds a bump, and Allura cries out. Keith's finger pulls away, and something much larger is pressing at the entrance. Shiro flicks with his tongue, testing.

Allura shudders, thighs tensing.

Keith pushes, the motion shoving Shiro harder into Allura, who moans and catches his hair with a hand, pulling sharply. Shiro closes his eyes, his satisfied hum becoming an open-mouthed groan as Keith's cock pierces him. The burn is enough to make Shiro's legs shake.

Keith shoves again, and the head of his cock is in, sinking, until Keith is fully seated. Shiro has to turn his head to the side, panting, adjusting. Flickers of pain dance in his ass, muscles stretched to their limit. Then Keith moves, pulling out a little, and Shiro can't hold back the cry.

A hand in Shiro's hair guides him back down. Allura, refusing to let him forget. Shiro catches hold her clit between his lips and suckles fiercely, every nerve alight as pain becomes pleasure. Keith thrusts sharply. Sparks go off in Shiro's vision. He flicks his tongue, faster, in time with his heartbeat.

Keith pulls out halfway, digs his fingers into Shiro's hips, and yanks hard. The move forces a moan from Shiro, dragging him off Allura. She grins and slides down, staying in range.

Shiro locks one arm around her waist, forehead against her stomach as he's impaled repeatedly. He stretches the other arm up to caress her breast, and Keith thrusts again. Shiro's broken moan is muffled by Allura's skin, pleasure rippling through his muscles. If not for Keith holding him up, Shiro's certain he'd collapse from the shudders.

The only thing Shiro can do is translate the heat in his groin into rapid flicks of his tongue. Keith's moans fill the air, his fingers digging into Shiro's hips, holding Shiro still as Keith pounds his ass. Every thrust brushes that place within, pushing Shiro closer to the edge. To his shock, Allura's clit engorges, thickening, lengthening.

"Much better," Allura gasps, grinning down at Shiro. "Don't you dare stop—" With a choked-off laugh, she pushes at his head, more a prod than a push.

Altean shapeshifting. Shiro wants to laugh as well. Better instead to suck Allura fully into his mouth. She cries out, body jack-knifing. Her pleasure shoots through Shiro and he comes, a dry orgasm, diffused but as much his as anyone's. His eyes roll back in his head. His muscles clench, tightening sharply around Keith's cock.

Keith shouts, wordless, slamming deep, hips twitching as he comes in Shiro's ass. The pleasure ricochets through Shiro along sensitive nerves and pours into Allura, who cries out again, back arching, breasts pushed up into Shiro's hands. Allura rocks her hips, another orgasm flowing through her, into Shiro, to consume Keith.

A softer cry from Keith, but he has the sense to stay still, waiting for Shiro's muscle spasms to ease. Keith slowly pulls free. Shiro falls sideways, Keith with him, and Shiro rolls onto his back, wanting both of them close. He gets an arm around each of them, one hand on Keith's hip, the other on Allura's waist. They're propped up on their elbows, watching him.

To Shiro's surprise, they're wide-awake and bright-eyed, while he feels wrung-out. Little waves like tiny orgasms continue to gently flood his body, making his stomach clench and his vision blur. He has to close his eyes against their observation.

Something in his chest is breaking apart. Ribs cracking, heart tearing, and a new emotion courses through him, unbidden. Shiro can't get his hands free in time to cover his face, a sob rising. A second, a third, and he weeps openly, cries echoing in the cabin's dark space.

Relief, shock, regret, terror, the endless darkness behind Shiro's eyelids too much like the empty landscape of his exile. He keeps his eyes open, tears blurring the vision of Keith bending close, arms around Shiro's neck. Allura bends over Keith in turn, embracing both of them.

Shiro clings, sobs on the verge of howls. All the anger and confusion and loneliness and desperation pouring out in jagged waves. Neither Keith nor Allura shush him, nor assure him everything will be fine, nor even encourage him. They simply embrace him, and that undoes him even more.

His tears drip down his cheeks, sobs fading. Gradually he becomes aware of other details: his neck is wet where Keith's nestled against him. Other tears drip down his temples; Allura's cheek is pressed against Shiro's forehead.  

"Sorry," he whispers. "I didn't mean to—"

"I love you," Keith says, less of a confession and more of a challenge.

"I missed you more than anything," Shiro says, angling to kiss Keith's forehead as Keith raises his head. "I love—"

The words are swallowed in a kiss, Keith's tongue sweeping away the last remnants of Shiro's grief. Allura remains close. Keith releases Shiro to kiss at Shiro's jaw, the press of his lips nudging Shiro's face upwards. A quick emotion runs through Shiro's veins, the echo of their exchange, offering, granting.

Allura bends down, lips against Shiro's. Cooler, wetter, her tongue teases more than tangles, soft nips at Shiro's mouth. No sooner than she pulls back, Keith's there again, overwhelming Shiro, all-consuming.

Shiro has to break the kiss to catch his breath. He's half-hard already, but he's too relaxed, on the verge of sleep.

"It's good to have you back," Allura says, brows going up when Keith barks a soft laugh. "What?"

Keith shakes his head, once, and kisses Shiro on the neck. "Good to have you back," he echoes.

"Good to be back," Shiro says, pulling them close.

 

 

 

He dozes, waking at one point at movement around him. A damp cloth runs down his legs, and he lazily rolls onto his side when he's urged, too somnolent to protest another cloth wiping between his legs and up his ass. More whispers, only half-spoken, emotions flickering through Shiro, lighting the darkness behind his eyelids like firecrackers.

A body presses against his front, pillowed curves of Allura's ass warm against Shiro's groin. Keith presses in close behind, arm over Shiro's waist. Shiro tips his head back, nuzzling sleepily against Keith; his other hand slides up Allura's waist to cradle one of her breasts. She murmurs something, and Shiro presses a kiss against the base of her neck.

Keith does the same to Shiro in turn. Shiro exhales, letting sleep take him.

 

 

 

Shiro prods at the thin boundary, satisfied when it gives way, letting his awareness expand to include the other two. Allura's presence swirls around him, a rush of cool water like iron on his tongue, as bright as sunrise. In the next heartbeat, fire streaks through Shiro, a warmth that smells like woodsmoke, as sharp as vinegar on his throat.

Mid-sleep, he'd rolled onto his other side. Keith lays within his arms, forehead to Shiro's chest. Allura's reclining along Shiro's back, chin on her hands. She's awake, watching Shiro doze. She prods Keith, who snuffles sleepily.

"Wake up," Allura mutters. "Keith."

"What?" Keith yawns, jaw cracking with the force.

Shiro's body is locked, unmoving. The dreamstate no longer feels like a trap closing on him; the other two are fully present, their whispered conversation filtering in through the open window of his mind. The door between them is unlocked, ajar. Shiro relaxes, content to let them be, until he hears his name.

"I don't think it worked," Allura says.

Keith props himself up on an elbow, arm draped over Shiro. "But if you break the link…"  

"It could break everything. I won't do that to him."

"Maybe it's settled down enough?" Keith plants a gentle kiss on Shiro's shoulder. "I don't feel anything."

"I felt plenty, before," Allura reminds him. "He's sleeping now. The conduit is quiet."

"Does that bother you?" Keith asks. "What you felt."

Allura's quiet, a considering silence. "No," she finally says. "I told you before, you'd become like family. Now you're something more. Both of you are. I know you two are closest, though. Thank you for letting me be a part of it."

"Letting you?" Keith shrugs. "You are a part."

"Yes, but—"

"Do you love him?"

Allura inhales, sharply, then exhales. She shifts in place; her breasts are soft fullness against Shiro's back.

Keith's grip on Shiro tightens, a defensive sensation.

"Yes," Allura whispers. "Although I'm not sure whether I love him, or if it'd be more honest to say I can't _not_ love him." She laughs, softly. "I'm not sure that makes sense."

"It's how it is," Keith says.

"Are you alright with that, though?" Allura asks, hesitant. "Being connected to me, too."

"I haven't decided," Keith admits.

In his dream, Shiro smiles.

"I feel like I understand you better, now," Keith adds. "If that helps."

"It does. And likewise." Allura sits up, but doesn't go far. She scoots up close, one leg bent to press along Shiro's spine. Her hands land on Shiro's forehead, another on his hip. "It worries me that he's not secured, though."

Shiro's about to step through the open door and ask, when something new brushes across his awareness. It's warmth and love and compassion, wrapped around an iron core. Allura's energy, setting his dream-space glowing. Instinctively Shiro takes his fill and sends the rest onward along the connection.

"Oh," Keith says, awed. "I'm not glowing the same color as you two."

"It's the nature of our quintessences," Allura says. "Blue and red do make purple."

"It seems unfair." Keith sits up as well, though one hand remains on Shiro. "I don't like putting that burden on him, to balance the two of us."

"We have had our disagreements," Allura says. "I doubt that'll change."

"We'll have to work them out." Keith's fingers run down Shiro's arm, and back up again.

In the dreamstate, Shiro makes himself comfortable, willing to let them figure out what they want. He'd rather they be certain.

He's loved Keith for years, believed in him, relied on him, open to him in a way Shiro had never dared with anyone else. Somewhere along the way, through the darkness and the distance, the embers Keith had planted had finally caught fire in Shiro's chest.

His love for Allura is a different shape, born of respect and admiration and loss. Had the universe turned a half-degree in either direction, perhaps he could've seen sooner the bonds forming between them. Perhaps it took resting within her skin to understand the depth of her strength, and to admit his own desire.

"We can't rely on Shiro for everything," Allura says. "I think it's best we figure out a balance between us."

"Yeah." Keith's voice is soft, vulnerable. "Maybe…" He's bending over Shiro, leaning into Allura, curious but holding back. Afraid.

Shiro considers letting encouragement drift along the connection, and holds back. It's his turn to be silent witness to their choice.

Allura's lips touch Keith's, and for a moment, both are still. There's a sudden jolt down the line as they open to each other, deepening their kiss. Shiro lets himself drift in the celestial currents of his dream state. They remain open to him. Allura's growing wet is also Shiro's, and Keith's responding hardness is Shiro's as well.

Shiro withdraws to his dreams. The bond stretching before him—with him, but not of him—grows in splendor, and Shiro is truly content for the first time in far too long.   

 

 

 

There's no sleeping with the noise and movement. Shiro wakes with a pleased smile. He rests his head on a fist, admiring the view.

Keith is bent over Allura, head back, expression slack. Allura's legs are around Keith's waist, rocking with his motions, arms slung around Keith's shoulders. Their kisses are sloppy, distracted. Allura whimpers, muscles tensing as she reaches for her orgasm.

Shiro fondles himself, stroking once or twice, then sits up. Keith notices first, and his expression borders on distraught.

"I can't," Keith moans. "So close—" He thrusts again, a snap of his hips that shoves Allura a little farther up the bedding.

Allura tilts her head back, giving Shiro a pained smile. She's close, too.

They were trying to gain balance on their own, but they're too at odds. Shiro raises his brows, a question along the connection, and Allura nods, fluttering her fingers at him. Keith drops his head to Allura's shoulders, muscles flexing as he continues to piston, chasing his own pleasure.

Shiro lifts Allura up by the shoulders, bracing her as he gets behind her. Keith leans past her to kiss Shiro, fast and wet. Shiro nips at Keith's lower lip, then gets his hands on Keith's shoulders.

Keith halts, breathing ragged. His lust rages, mingling with trepidation, overwhelmed. Shiro opens the connection wider, and Keith groans, eyes rolling back in his head. Allura arches her back, pushing against Shiro.

"Hold on," Shiro murmurs in her ear, running his hand down her stomach to press his fingertips between Keith's sweat-slicked skin and Allura's damp mound.

He wriggles his fingers and Allura cries out, shuddering. Her orgasm floods Shiro, overloading all sensation for a moment. Keith groans at the same instant, hips snapping harshly, slamming Shiro's fingers against Allura, and Allura's body tenses again.

Three strokes, and she's coming again, sending pleasure flooding through the connection. Keith's scrunched his eyes shut tight, focused, mouth falling open as her body constricts around him, wringing his orgasm from him. The backlash slams into Shiro, who swallows his moan, catching Allura's breast to pinch her nipple.

Allura rocks her hips up, pressing Shiro's fingers hard against herself, and swivels her hips. Keith continues to come, hips convulsing, and the after-image sparks gather in Shiro's groin. They explode outwards, punching through him as the sensations spin along their connection. Blue to purple to red to blue to purple and back again, tangling and thickening.

Keith half-collapses, barely holding himself up. He shivers all over, hips convulsing a last time before he pulls out. Finally freed, Shiro runs his fingers through Allura's soaking folds, dipping a finger into her, then dragging it up her center. She leans against him, muscles tensing and relaxing, and Shiro tongues her shoulder and neck, reveling in the pleasure she's sending.

Again, and again, with longer pauses between for her to catch her breath. Shiro keeps going until Allura whimpers, barely responding.

Keith kneels before her, watching Shiro's hands work at Allura's body, sometimes gasping as the backlash hits him. His cock's risen again, engorged and needy.

Shiro reaches out to Black, checking. The lion doesn't fully understand what the three are doing, but is encouraging, cherishing the conduit that's tied them together and closer to Black, in turn. Shiro leaves those implications for later. Right now, he aches as much as Keith.

Allura rolls off Shiro, landing on her stomach beside him with a laugh. "I can't get up," she says. "Just let me lay here."

Keith puts a hand on Allura's ass, squeezing, a mild teasing. Allura grins over her shoulder and spreads her legs, an invitation. Keith's brows go up, but Shiro smiles, beckoning.

"My turn," Shiro announces.

It doesn't take much negotiation, only more of the lotion and a firm finger. Shiro's cock is leaking and desperate by the time Keith's rocking backwards on Shiro's finger, muscles tight. Shivers run up Keith's spine with every flick of Shiro's finger.

"Please, stop teasing," Allura says, gasping. "I can feel it all and I can't take anymore."

Shiro grins, rising up on his knees, setting his cock to Keith's entrance. Keith moans, fingers crumpling the bedding, back arching. Shiro grips Keith's hips, pressing, feeling the burn echo along the conduit. A shadow cock enters Shiro as he pierces Keith.

He's not the only one groaning. Keith pants, chest heaving, as Shiro pushes deep into the slick heat. Fully seated, Shiro slides his hands around Keith's chest and pulls Keith upright, balanced on his knees and pinned in place. Keith reaches back, hands on Shiro's shoulders, crying wordlessly as Shiro snaps his hips, once, twice, then faster.

Keith's cock bounces against his stomach, neglected and wanting. Keith chokes on another cry as Shiro rams harder.

Along the conduit, Shiro chases the cord that ties him to Allura. An invitation, and the responding pulse is Allura's agreement. She rolls over, scoots along the bedding, and catches Keith's cock in her hand.

"Oh, god, please," Keith moans, unable to move in Shiro's grasp. "Please."

Allura grins up at Shiro, gets her knees under her for a better angle, and gently puts her mouth around the head of Keith's cock. Keith throws his head back with a shout, and Shiro impales him, forcing Keith forward, into Allura's open mouth.

She chokes, adjusts, and Shiro's own cock feels the echoes of Keith's pleasure. The sensation is amazing and mind-blowing. It's all Shiro can do to let his body move of its own accord, faster and harder until he's ramming into Keith at a rapid pace.

The orgasm explodes within Shiro, bliss rolling outwards from his groin, through his chest, down his legs. He thrusts a few times more, burying his cock deep in Keith, and stills. Allura glances up, lips locked around Keith's cock. Her tongue presses upwards and Shiro gasps. Keith's back arches, ass tightening around Shiro's cock to an almost painful degree.

Allura chokes, white liquid dribbling from the corner of her mouth. Her other hand is between her legs, prompting a third faint orgasm to wash over Shiro before he's even caught his breath in the wake of Keith's buzz.

Keith goes lax, and Shiro settles back on his heels, waiting until Keith's relaxed enough that Shiro can pull out. The move prompts a whimper from Keith and a reflexive tightening of Keith's ass. Shiro kisses Keith on the shoulder, and reaches for Allura.

She leans into the kiss, and Shiro sweeps the taste of Keith from her tongue, licking and biting playfully. When she pulls back, Shiro shifts his attention to Keith, whose kisses are lazier now, gentle and seeking. Keith lets his head fall on Shiro's shoulder with a contented sigh.

Shiro hugs him close, reaching out to bring Allura close as well.

"I don't think the connection's going to break anytime soon," Shiro says, with a quiet laugh.

"I think it's permanent," Allura says.

"Mmm," Keith says, rearranging himself to get an arm around Shiro, and his other around Allura. He mumbles something against Shiro's skin, eyes closing. Slowly his weight grows heavier.

"He's asleep," Allura says, surprised.

"It's a usual thing for guys," Shiro says, cradling Keith.

"But you're awake," Allura says, and scrunches her nose. "You feel asleep before, but he didn't."

Shiro bends forward to give her a quick kiss. "I think that's your bad influence."

"You." Allura pretends to swat him. "I guess I should get up and check our status."

"Black's got it," Shiro says. "But more of those damp cloths would be useful."

Five minutes' effort and Keith is sleeping soundly. Wolf pops back into the cabin, and though Shiro has no idea what the animal is thinking, he amuses himself with the thought that Wolf's relieved the yelling is over. Wolf curls up next to Keith, who sleepily throws an arm over the creature.

Shiro rests his arms on his bent legs. "Does it look like that creature's grinning, to you?"

"It does seem pleased with itself," Allura says. "How are _you_ feeling?"

"Tired. Invigorated. And…" Shiro rubs his chest, feeling out the words. "Warm. Settled. A little anxious, but… happy. It feels strange."

Allura smiles. "That's called love, Shiro."

He laughs, abashed, but content.

"I do—" Allura yawns, then blinks. "Should I blame this sudden sleepiness on you or Keith?"

"I'm awake," Shiro stretches, and gets up. "You can rest, if you want. Do you…" He hesitates, uneasy. "Do you think Keith would mind, if I flew Black?"

Allura's expression isn't quite skeptical; she's too elegant for that. Her mouth flattens, instead, though her eyes crinkle in the hint of a smile. "I think he'd be upset to hear you put it like that."

"Oh." Shiro takes a step, halting at Allura's raised hand.

"Shiro," Allura said, almost primly. "However, for my sake at least, do put some clothes on, first."

 

 

 

Shiro settles into the seat, hair and skin damp from a quick wash. His old clothes fit him comfortably, the vest still a little tight across the chest. For a moment he simply sits, amazed at how right it feels, to be physically present, separate from Black, but with Black.

One hand on the controls, then the other. Black purrs, a welcoming rumble that shifts into a series of feelings and images. Explaining where they are, where Blue has chosen to lead them, and Black's own opinions on the topic.

Shiro laughs. "Understood." He runs a scan, checking the surroundings.

A short distance by Black's standards, and there's the planet Black remembers. Mostly water, but full of life.

Shiro opens a line to the other lions. "Hey, I think there's a better place to stop, two varga from here," he tells the rest of the pilots.

Windows pop open, and Shiro dims every light but the one on him. Keith and Allura remain sleeping in loosely-connected dreams, and he sees no reason to disturb them.

"Greetings." Krolia looks Shiro over. "Feeling better?"

"Much better, thank you," Shiro says.

Hunk appears, followed by Matt and Coran. It must be the shifts for Pidge, Lance, and Romelle to be sleeping.

"You said something about a planet?" Coran asks, checking the charts. "There's a little one… there's nothing there."

"Black remembers hot springs," Shiro says. "I'm going ahead to check it out. I'll back shortly."

"You're going ahead?" Hunk asks. "How—"

Shiro grins, reaches out to Black, and Black roars. Wings extending, Black stretches out, thrusters boosting to maximum speed. The burst sends brilliant light flying by, a flash of the void, and Black comes to a halt above a planet tilting on its axis. Sparkling blue with dots of green.

"Alright, let's check it out," Shiro says, sweeping Black down through the atmosphere.

By the time he's returned to deep space, there's rustling behind him. Keith and Allura have woken, and Wolf is determined to get in the way as they dress. Shiro drops out of hyperspeed in the middle of the lions, grinning as they each shout at him in surprise.

"Sorry," he says, not apologetic at all.

The comms flicker again, more faces this time. Lance is back in Red, with Krolia leaning over the seat. Romelle's helming Blue again; Pidge stands beside Green's seat, while Matt flies. Coran and Hunk appear last.

"It's a good place to stop and recharge," Shiro reports. "A number of the plant life scans as safe to eat. Hope you like seafood."

"Oh, excellent," Hunk says, pleased.

Keith's emotions reach Shiro first; his footsteps are too quiet. He comes alongside Shiro, who moves his arm for Keith to sit. Before the entire crew, Keith leans over and kisses Shiro on the temple.

"We're stopping?" Keith asks.

"Hot springs," Shiro says.

"That sounds lovely," Allura says, joining them. Shiro frees the other seat for her, and she settles in, fingers brushing through Shiro's hair. "We should take the chance to cut your hair, too. It's getting long." She pushes his bangs out of the way and kisses him on the forehead.

"Is it?" Shiro smiles. "Good morning."

"Morning," Allura says, sliding her arm around his shoulders.

On Shiro's other side, Keith leans comfortably against him, emotions still muffled by sleep, but satisfied and happy.

Pidge looks back and forth between the three of them, and about the time she gasps, Shiro knows the rest have caught on. There's an awkward silence, and memories abruptly jostle in Shiro's head. Suddenly the tiny glances make sense, among the rest of the team.

They're all waiting for Lance, while Allura is studiously watching nothing in particular. Shiro can feel her tension, and a hint of fear. Keith's on the edge of bristling, and that strangely reassures Shiro, to know Keith's famed protectiveness now extends to Allura, too.

Behind Lance, Krolia gives her son a long look, and smiles. Not quite a nod, but she recognizes the meaning. Keith exhales softly, relieved. Shiro hugs Keith closer, reassuring.  

"Okay, fine, yes, I see what everyone's seeing," Lance says. He leans into the camera, giving Allura a lopsided smile. "I have no idea how you're gonna make it work, but I hope you do for as long as you can. All three of you deserve all the joy."

Shiro smiles. "I guess we'll figure it out as we go along."

"Alright, then," Coran says. "Sending new coordinates, now. I guess you're going ahead of us again, Shiro?"

"I've done enough of that," Shiro says. "Besides, faster if we all go together."

"Faster?" Allura asks.

Shiro grins and unwraps his arm from around Keith, to settle his hands on the controls again.

"If we all go as one," Shiro says. "Converge on me, team. Form Voltron!"  


End file.
